First of all I have to thank Louise for this great idea of a personal response; it truly adds a nice touch to a finished story.

This story went almost twice as long as I had planned, but like I said on the forum it took on a life of its own. I never knew writing a “Mary Sue” could be so much fun!

Fact vs. Fiction: The one thing I did try to do in this story is keep me true to myself, even in areas where I took poetic license. I don’t fly in real life (except in the simulator) so because of her training Ginny would be a much better pilot than I am. And while I am familiar with the art of hiking, I have never ascended Mount Washington on foot, although I hope to try it one day.

My conversation with my brother in the story was true to life. We really do talk like that especially since we’ve gotten older. In the story Hiram Hewett is my grandfather, but is in reality my great grandfather. I wanted to keep the story set in the original period and that was the easiest way to do it.

I do sing and play guitar in real life; as a matter of fact one of the songs mentioned in the story, “The Looks of a Woman in Love” was written by my good friend Matt Connelly. I sat in with his band many Sunday afternoons in what we all called the jam session.

I had sung to my wife in public long before we were married, and while she was a little embarrassed, she also enjoyed it. As she put it I was picking her heart strings. Even now if we go someplace where they have karaoke, or a band that knows us, she always wants me to sing one or two songs for her.

I had planned on having Matt’s meeting with Ed to be more confrontational, but in the end that just wouldn’t work. Ed is too much a gentleman to descend to that, and so am I.

My favorite part of the whole story was when Matt and Ginny find out that they had met as children. As the story had so much serendipity in it already it just seemed to be a perfect fit. It also made the idea of the pair falling for each other much more believable as not everyone believes in love at first sight. That aspect was a stroke of inspiration that just hit me one morning; I hadn’t planned on it initially.

Speaking of love at first sight; that is something I do believe in, as it happened to me.

I would like to thank Dragon for sharing her idea of a writer’s story. I’m still amazed at the different takes we all have on a particular subject.